I wrote that big-ass paragraph on Mayoi and it still doesn't cover all my thoughts on him...I feel like a lot of people immediately got very turned off of him for very obvious reasons and I don't blame them for it but I find him really interesting.

I mostly interpret him as trying his best to be good but being so riddled by insecurity, past trauma (whatever it is), and loneliness, combined with a complete lack of healthy coping mechanisms or even awareness that it is unhealthy, so he just struggles. A lot

Like. He wants to be loved and needed and able to protect what's important to him but his brain tells him he's unworthy and disgusting for wanting any of that and I get the impression that before ALKALOID he didn't have anyone to tell him that's just his brain being stupid.

He thinks the best solution is almost always to make himself take up as little space as possible, not disturb them, just watch over them from the shadows. It takes someone else telling him "No, people like when you talk to them about things" for him to even try it.

He has like. A twisted big sister complex, he wants someone cute to rely on him and love him and I do think it would be normal if not for the fact that he thinks of himself as a monster, so he thinks the only way this will ever happen is if they're corrupted, or trapped, etc.

Which leads to his angsty-poetic nonsense about entrapping a cute pure soul in this darkness with him until the day he dies--

And then when an actual cutie (Shinobu) is like "I love you!" He just gets very loving and affectionate back and isn't actually that weird about it bc.

Well. He is not actually a monster that is actually going to endanger someone he cares about or hurt them in any way. He just thinks he is. Intrusive thoughts do be a bitch like that.

He is also still just a fucking weirdo, tho, and I think it's usually meant to be played for humor but a lot of it is just uncomfortable. Maybe the writers will grow out of "hehe pervert hehe" at some point. Hopefully. Please don't make him talk about sweat ever again

idk I have Many Thoughts on Mayoi because he's interesting and mysterious and reads as an exaggerated representation of mental illness and isolation and how important it is to have support systems and people that love you and help you accept and love yourself.

This thread is a Mess I just wanted to elaborate some more because I have had Mayoi Brainworms and obviously not a lot of ppl actually give him a chance. I get it! I just want to share why I like the him even if I don't like some of the "humor" in his stories.